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About the author: Carter Dickson is a pseudonym of John Dickson Carr, known for his locked room mysteries.
Major characters:
- John Stannard, a lawyer
- Ruth Callice, bookshop owner
- Martin Drake, artist
- Jennifer "Jenny" West
- Richard Fleet, Jennifer's fiancé
- Sophia, Dowager Countess of Brayle; Jennifer's grandmother
- Aunt Cecily, Lady Fleet (Jennifer's "aunt" by courtesy only - no relation)
- Enid Puckston, innkeeper's daughter
- Dr. Hugh Laurier
- Sir Henry Merrivale
Locale: Fleet House, rural England
Synopsis: In a late night confab, lawyer John Stannard, bookshop owner Ruth Challice, and artist Martin Drake discuss the idea of earthbound spirits lurking about after a sudden death. They come up with the idea of looking for some - and the most likely place being a prison's execution shed. Stannard has connections with the keepers of Pentecost Prison, and as it has been closed for years, manages to get the keys for an overnight stay.
Drake has been diligently searching for a lost love, only known to him as Jenny, since they got separated after a brief romance during the war three years earlier. Drake attends an auction with his friend Sir Henry Merrivale, and runs into Jenny - learning her name is Jennifer West - and to his dismay learns she is engaged to Richard Fleet.
Drake seeks out Fleet, to try to dissuade him from the marriage. To his surprise, Fleet is happy to back out of it (he actually prefers Susan Harwood). Drake learns that Richard's father, Sir George Fleet had fallen to his death from Fleet House, near the prison, twenty years ago. The police receive a series of anonymous postcards claiming his death was murder. Sir Henry Merrivale investigates.
Review: This story has several parallel mysteries occuring:
1. What happened to Jenny during the war, and can Martin find her again?
2. Why is there a skeleton in the clock case?
3. Was Sir George Fleet's death a murder? How was it done?
4. Will Martin and Stannard survive a night in the execution shed?
5. Who is sending the postcards?
6. Who is responsible for the murder of another character I won't name?
There is a lot going on in the story, and as usual, I had a bit of trouble following some of it - mostly due to the excessive use of pronouns instead of names, which caused me to lose track of who was speaking or acting at any given moment.
There is lots of humorous relief whenever H.M. is around, and his adventures - especially the bristly relationship with the Dowager and his misadventures at the auction house and the traveling carnival - are quite funny.
Also see this review by Bev Hankins on My Reader's Block.
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